(1)

Regulation (EC) No 3223/94 lays down, pursuant to the outcome of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations, the criteria whereby the Commission fixes the standard values for imports from third countries, in respect of the products and periods stipulated in the Annex thereto.

(2)

In compliance with the above criteria, the standard import values must be fixed at the levels set out in the Annex to this Regulation,

(1)

The marketing year for arable crops, including flax and hemp grown for fibre, was established in Article 1(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1251/1999 of 17 May 1999 establishing a support system for producers of certain arable crops (2). Following the repeal of that Regulation by Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 of 29 September 2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers (3), it is necessary to establish the marketing year for flax and hemp grown for fibre in the Commission Regulation (EC) No 245/2001 (4).

(2)

In Article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No 245/2001 reference is made to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3508/92 of 27 November 1992 establishing an integrated administration and control system for certain Community aid schemes (5). As that Regulation has been repealed and replaced by Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, the relevant reference should be amended accordingly.

(3)

Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 245/2001 makes the payment of the aid for processing flax and hemp straw into fibre subject in particular to the condition to that the parcels sown under flax or hemp grown for fibre have, for the marketing year concerned, been declared by means of the ‘area’ aid applications as referred to in Article 4 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3887/92 of 23 December 1992 laying down detailed rules for applying the integrated administration and control system for certain Community aid schemes (6). Since the ‘area’ aid applications have been replaced by the single application as referred to in Chapter I of Title II of Part II of Commission Regulation (EC) No 796/2004 of 21 April 2004 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of cross compliance, modulation and the integrated administration and control system (7) provided for in Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers, it is necessary to amend Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 245/2001 accordingly.

(4)

Experience has demonstrated that Article 8(5) of Regulation (EC) No 245/2001, obliging the Commission to publish the information forwarded by the Member States concerning the transfers between national guaranteed quantities for long flax fibre and for short flax and hemp fibre in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union, entails a considerable administrative work, without bringing an effective contribution to the sector, since the operators already obtain this information through the Member States themselves. In order to simplify the rules governing the aid for processing flax and hemp that provision should be deleted.

(5)

As a result of the repeal of Regulation (EC) No 1251/1999, the comparison of information on agricultural parcels under flax or hemp grown for fibre in order to ensure compliance with the conditions for granting the aid for flax fibre or hemp fibre, as referred to in Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 245/2001, should be made with the information determined in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003.

(6)

With a view to facilitate procedures, and to the extent that is technically possible, Member States and importers should be given the possibility to issue and use licences through computerised systems for imports of hemp from third countries provided for in Article 17a of Regulation (EC) No 245/2001.

(7)

Regulation (EC) No 245/2001 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(8)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Natural Fibres,

1.

Article 1 is replaced by the following:

2.

Article 5(1) (b) is replaced by the following:

3.

In Article 7(1) the first indent is replaced by the following:

4.

In Article 8, paragraph 5 is deleted.

5.

In Article 13(1) the second indent is replaced by the following:

6.

In Article 17a (1), the following subparagraph is inserted after the second subparagraph:

‘Licences may be issued and used using computerised systems in accordance with detailed rules laid down by the competent authorities. The content of those licences must be identical to that of licences on paper referred to in first and second subparagraphs. In Member States where such computerised systems are not available, the importer can only use the paper form of the licence.’.

(1)

Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 872/2004 lists the natural and legal persons, bodies and entities covered by the freezing of funds and economic resources under that Regulation.

(2)

On 2 May 2005, the Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council decided to include additional identifying information on the entries in the list of persons, groups and entities to whom the freezing of funds and economic resources should apply. Annex I should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

The export refunds on white sugar and raw sugar exported in the natural state were fixed by Commission Regulation (EC) No 846/2005 (2).

(2)

Since the data currently available to the Commission are different to the data at the time Regulation (EC) No 846/2005 was adopted, those refunds should be adjusted,

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1327/2004 of 19 July 2004 on a standing invitation to tender to determine levies and/or refunds on exports of white sugar (2), for the 2004/2005 marketing year, requires partial invitations to tender to be issued for the export of this sugar to certain third countries.

(2)

Pursuant to Article 9(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1327/2004 a maximum export refund shall be fixed, as the case may be, account being taken in particular of the state and foreseeable development of the Community and world markets in sugar, for the partial invitation to tender in question.

(3)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Sugar,

(1)

Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 2771/1999 lays down that buying-in is to be opened or suspended by the Commission in a Member State, as appropriate, once it is observed that, for two weeks in succession, the market price in that Member State is below or equal to or above 92 % of the intervention price.

(2)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 706/2005 (3) establishes the most recent list of Member States in which intervention is suspended. This list must be adjusted as a result of the market prices communicated by Sweden pursuant to Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 2771/1999. In the interests of clarity, the list in question should be replaced and Regulation (EC) No 706/2005 should be repealed,

(1)

An invitation to tender for the refund for the export of barley to certain third countries was opened pursuant to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1757/2004 (2).

(2)

In accordance with Article 7 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1501/95 of 29 June 1995 laying down certain detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1766/92 on the granting of export refunds on cereals and the measures to be taken in the event of disturbance on the market for cereals (3), the Commission may, on the basis of the tenders notified, decide to fix a maximum export refund taking account of the criteria referred to in Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 1501/95. In that case a contract is awarded to any tenderer whose bid is equal to or lower than the maximum refund.

(3)

The application of the abovementioned criteria to the current market situation for the cereal in question results in the maximum export refund being fixed.

(4)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Cereals,

(1)

An invitation to tender for the refund for the export of common wheat to certain third countries was opened pursuant to Commission Regulation (EC) No 115/2005 (2).

(2)

In accordance with Article 7 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1501/95 of 29 June 1995 laying down certain detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1766/92 on the granting of export refunds on cereals and the measures to be taken in the event of disturbance on the market for cereals (3), the Commission may, on the basis of the tenders notified, decide to fix a maximum export refund taking account of the criteria referred to in Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 1501/95. In that case a contract is awarded to any tenderer whose bid is equal to or lower than the maximum refund.

(3)

The application of the abovementioned criteria to the current market situation for the cereal in question results in the maximum export refund being fixed.

(4)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Cereals,